This week on The Inside Story…
False claims about immigrants threaten the fabric of a small midwestern town.
And a look at the forces threatening U.S. election integrity.
Now… on The Inside Story: USA Votes 2024.
Hello and welcome to the Inside Story. I’m Jessica Jerreat, VOA Press Freedom Editor.
We begin with another dangerous moment in what has been an unprecedented election cycle.
The FBI says that Donald Trump was the target of a second apparent assassination attempt.
Here’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson.
President Joe Biden on Monday condemned what appeared to be a second assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
In America, we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box, not at the end of a gun.
The U.S. Secret Service had already come under congressional scrutiny for its handling of the July 13th assassination attempt on Trump. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson telling Fox News this second incident only increases the need for change.
I think there are some really patriotic, great people working in the Secret Service, but it's the leadership. We have no faith.
Trump told Fox News Digital on Monday that Democrats' rhetoric was to blame. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned the apparent assassination attempt Monday.
There is no place in America for political violence of any kind.
The suspect, Ryan Routh, is accused of hiding in the bushes with a rifle outside Trump’s Florida golf course. The 58-year-old activist is a strong supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia. He spoke with Newsweek Romania in 2022 about the war.
This conflict is definitely black and white. This is about good versus evil.
Russia said Monday the assassination attempt was a warning to the United States.
Playing with fire has its consequences.
Law enforcement officials told reporters the layers of security added in the days after the first assassination attempt helped protect Trump on Sunday.
The system can work, because the suspect didn't even get close to getting a round off, and we apprehended him and brought him to justice.
Routh appeared in a Florida federal court Monday morning to answer weapons charges.
Katherine Gypson, VOA News.
During the presidential debate, candidate Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating people’s pets. Now, the small town of Springfield, Ohio, finds itself at the center of a controversy, manufactured through a fake news story. Obed Lamy in our Creole service traveled there. Here’s what he found, as narrated by
Haitian migrants living in Springfield, a small town in the Midwestern state of Ohio, are making headlines nationwide after being accused of eating residents’ pets.
The allegation, posted on social media and amplified by the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Ohio Senator JD Vance, was repeated in last week’s debate by former President Donald Trump, sparking outrage.
Haitian migrants in Ohio, like Clio, deny the allegations.
I saw it on the internet. People talking about how Haitians are misbehaving. But definitely there’s no proof. Anyway, I don’t walk around town.
Although local authorities confirm there is no evidence of migrants eating pets, the rumor has prompted numerous bomb threats, forcing school closures, and is negatively affecting Haitians’ lives in Springfield.
Since we’re Haitian, when news like that is published in the media, it scares us. We’re just searching for a better life.
Another Haitian migrant, who spoke to VOA on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, says an angry resident pulled a knife on him.
I got a phone call, and I stepped outside with a friend. We were just standing, and I saw a guy’s truck. I wasn’t even touching it – and he came out and asked what are you doing? We said we’re just standing we aren’t leaning on your truck. The guy struck a pose like he was ready to fight. And his wife told us just leave, go back inside. So we ignored him and left, but what really stunned me is the guy turned and said ‘you f--- the Haitians’ – then he pulled a knife on me.
Springfield is a dynamic community with many positive attributes. It is disappointing that some of the narratives surrounding our city have been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media, and further amplified by political rhetoric in a current highly charged political election cycle.
The migrant issue is complicated. It goes beyond allegations of eating pets.